Memento Mori
by PariahCam
Summary: The Pevensie rule is challenged by a pandemic. Can Peter withstand the stress or will he go down before his eighteenth birthday? A collaboration between Angel8621 and myself
1. Prologue

There was a prologue to the story here, but over time, the plot we were going to do changed, thus rendering said prologue irrelevant. Enjoy the rest of the story! 


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Just wanted to let you guys know that I, PariahCam, wrote this chapter :)

**Disclaimer: **We don't own it

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_Three Months Prior_

Lucy giggled as she raced down the hallway. She skidded to a stop in front of Edmund's door and knocked hard. She grinned when she heard a shout and a crash, followed by a slew of mumbles and curses. Pleased with Edmund's reaction, Lucy went to Peter's door and did the same thing. Though his reaction wasn't as severe, Lucy was still satisfied to hear a gasp and the sound of a sword being drawn.

"Wake up, boys!" She shouted with a laugh. "We're going to be late!"

"Lucy," Edmund's voice grumbled as he opened his door a crack. "It's not even dawn."

"We're supposed to leave two hours after dawn. It's almost dawn, and I'll bet you haven't even started packing yet."

"Shows what you know." Edmund frowned. Lucy just continued to smile, knowing that Edmund's temper would improve in the next hour or so.

"Peter, are you up?" She called, knocking on his door again.

"I'm up, I'm up. Go fret over someone else, would you?" Though he sounded just as exhausted as Edmund, his mood was much lighter.

"There's no one left to fret over aside from you two. Susan and I have been up for a half hour already getting things set up. If it weren't for us, you boys wouldn't set out until noon."

"Which is why we have you, so you can keep us from irritating King Lune."

"And everyone else you meet." Peter could just hear the smirk on her face.

"Yes, yes. Now shoo and give us some peace and quiet. We'll be ready in time. I promise."

"Well good." Content with Peter's answer, Lucy skipped down the hall and back to her room to finish getting ready.

Two hours after dawn, as arranged, the four siblings were mounted on their horses (or in Edmund's case, his Horse) and headed for Anvard. Lucy and Susan watched in amusement as Peter's horse walked proudly, though a bit skittishly.

"This horse was built for war, not pleasure rides." Peter griped quietly, stroking the horse's neck soothingly in a vain attempt to calm it.

"Then why don't you get a pleasure horse?" Susan asked.

"Because I never have time to go looking for one, that's why. Every time I get a chance, a Fell Beast pops up or Calormen gives us trouble or the Giants make a fuss and I have to ride out on a war horse and I forget all about getting a more laid back one."

"That's Peter talk for 'I'm too lazy'." Edmund smirked.

Susan giggled and Peter rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Lucy, however, had gone quiet. She had been trying to find Peter a present for his eighteenth birthday, but so far had come up with nothing. He had not helped, either, insisting that he didn't want anything. She, Susan, and Tumnus had rolled ideas around for months, but none of them had appealed to her very much. However, as her siblings went on to discuss other topics, Lucy was brewing an idea.

The party of Kings, Queens, and soldiers made it to Anvard on schedule. They were greeted merrily by King Lune and Prince Corin. Pleasantries were exchanged and Corin babbled on with Edmund, his favorite of the four siblings. It was as though those two were destined to become close. Corin and Edmund's personalities were extraordinarily similar, nearly to the point where one would think the young Prince mimicked his role model on purpose. According to King Lune that was not the case and their connections were completely coincidental, but at times Lucy had to doubt that.

Once everyone had said their hellos, some of King Lune's men took the horses and led them to the stables to be taken care of. The host began to guide his guests into the castle, but before he could enter himself, Lucy rushed to his side. He smiled at her and continued to walk on. She smiled back, but when it didn't seem as though he was going to start a conversation, she cleared her throat gently.

"King Lune, I was wondering if I could speak with you in private for a moment." She said politely, continuing to smile.

"Of course, Queen Lucy," King Lune turned to Lucy's siblings. "Continue on without me. I will join you shortly." Peter and Edmund gave him and Lucy a quizzical look but Susan nodded and shuffled her brothers along. "What was it you wished to discuss, my lady?"

"I was wondering if you knew of a place where I could buy a pleasure horse. Peter's eighteenth birthday is coming up, you see, and he doesn't have one. All of his horses are bred for war. I thought it would be a good present if I were to get him a horse that he could ride whenever he liked." At first, Lucy was a bit nervous that King Lune wouldn't know where to look, but her nerves calmed when he gave her a broad smile.

"As a matter of fact, a dear friend of mine is currently visiting Anvard. He helped train all of my horses, war and leisure alike. He is currently looking to sell some new stock. Beautiful creatures, if I do say so myself. He may have just the thing you are looking for."

"Wonderful!" Lucy said, clapping her hands together once, very lightly. "Does he have any bay horses? Peter is very fond of bays."

King Lune's smile only grew. "He has three, if memory serves, two mares and a stallion. I will show them to you later in the day, if you don't mind waiting. And, if you like, I could hold on to the horse you purchase until it's nearly time to give it to him. It would make keeping it a secret much easier."

"Oh thank you so much!" Lucy giggled happily.

"Anything for you and yours, my dear. Now, come in before we are missed."

Lucy nodded and eagerly followed the king into his castle. Her siblings were waiting just inside the castle waiting for the pair. Peter and Susan looked curious, but they didn't ask any questions. Edmund was too distracted by Corin to pay much heed to his sister. King Lune led his guests to their rooms, telling them that someone would come fetch them for dinner in about an hour. Lucy went into her room and began to unpack her things, but she didn't get very far before Susan came in and shut the door behind her.

"What did you need to talk to King Lune about?" She asked, tilting her head a bit.

"I finally figured out a good present for Peter, and King Lune said he would help us hide it." Lucy answered, smiling broadly and trying not to bounce in delight.

"That's wonderful! What is it?"

"We're going to get him a bay pleasure horse. Do you think he would like it?"

"I think he will love it," Susan said with a smile as big as Lucy's.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Hey, it's Angel. Now I was thinking about rambling about the smallest and stupidest things like I do in my other author notes but since this story is in Pariah's name I wouldn't want to ruin her street credit. So, let's just get on with this... I would like to thank Fan of the Just King, Mystic Lover of the fairytale, Kittendragon, Starzinmieyez, and lorientmnt for the reviews. We are both grateful to have so many reviewers so early in this story.

**Disclaimer:** We don't own anything. I don't know about Pariah but I am quite homeless.

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They hadn't spent a full hour unpacking before a servant knocked on each of the four's doors. It was time for dinner. Lucy, of course, was the first one out in the hallway. Second, was Edmund, without Corin; the King had seemed to sneak by an hour without him. He wondered if King Lune had had something to do with it. Peter was third; he seemed fine, but Lucy noticed how he was carrying himself differently, like something hurt.

"What's wrong Peter?" She asked simply. Peter was quite surprised she had notice his slight soreness.

"My horse did something to my back on the way over here. There's nothing to worry about. I've had worse." Peter assured his littlest sister with a smile. Lucy nodded understandingly and discontinued her concern. There had been worse that had happen to him while riding, and one time it had been so serious that she used her cordial.

"You horse didn't seem to get walking in a straight line," Edmund added with a smile. "I thought you were going to rip his mouth, off you were pulling back so much."

"What was I suppose to do? Let him go and see how fast he could hurt himself?" Peter disapproved of Edmund's comment. He wanted to see him on the stallion.

"Try a new bit that doesn't take much to stop him. And maybe you shouldn't learn forward like you were going to charge your way here. I've been on your horse before Peter; if you sit back he slows down quite considerably." Lucy nodded in agreement to Edmund's words. She had watched him before on Peter's horse. He never had the troubles Peter did.

Peter sighed and leaned angst the wall. "I have a lot on my mind."

Edmund raised an eyebrow. "That's you excuse?"

Susan appeared before Peter could answer. She was wearing a soft blue dress that seemed more fit for a ball than a small dinner party. Lucy was quite delighted by the way she looked, but the brothers not so much.

"What's the occasion Su?" Edmund asked jokingly.

Susan rolled her eyes and began. "It was sitting in my wardrobe for quite some time and I wanted to get some use out of it."

"It looks beautiful on you. Edmund just doesn't want to admit it." Peter's words were sincere, making her giggle.

"Could we just go? They're probably waiting for us." Edmund attempted to change the subject by standing up and walking down the red-bricked hallway.

"The other way Ed." Lucy laughed as they started down the hallway to their left. They all heard him sigh in frustration and run to join them.

After a couple of hours, they were nearly done with dinner. It was quite small guest-wise. Only the higher noblemen dined with the Kings and Queens. Peter was the closest to King Lune followed by Susan, Lucy and finally Edmund. Corin was on Edmund's right and they seemed quite occupied with their own conversations. Every now and then one of them would break the other's dialogue with laughter. Lune smiled as he saw how much joy his son was having.

"My son has always enjoyed your visits as he does when we come to your beloved Cair Paravel. He is always talking about King Edmund and it makes me wish that we still had his brother." the King's eyes grew said as he took a drink from his goblet.

"It was such a terrible loss." asked Susan taking a glance of Corin.

"Corin can't even remember his own brother." Lune shook his head and tried to regain his composure.

"I don't know what I would do myself if I lost one of my siblings." Peter said quietly. Musing the thought of one of them dead, or even missing made all four of them shudder.

The door to the dining hall opened, letting a young man in. He looked to be some sort of messenger. King Lune stood and the man bowed before him.

"Eaton, what news have you received?"

"Sire, I bring word from Calormen." Everyone's attention turned to the messenger. Even Edmund turned to face him, elbowing Corin to quiet down.

"What is it this time?" Lune seemed rather annoyed. It was always a threat, he had thought, and he would have to call for troops for something that would occasionally happen.

"The Tisroc has ordered all routes of trade in their country closed." The messenger began again to only be interrupted again this time by Peter.

"What for?"

"A pandemic, quite serious, it has already victimized a tenth of their population and keeps spreading like wildfire." Said Eaton.

"Thank you Eaton. Please feel free to sit." Said Lune welcoming the new guest to an empty seat.

Lune gave him a few moments until asking about the pandemic in more detail. "How contagious is this disease?"

"Extremely sire, I was in a smaller village that hasn't contracted the disease yet. Many of the townspeople said if a man was to cough, death will come to him and his family in three days or less."

"Aye, Eaton," Lune soon rose his voice to announce to everyone in the room, "I must have everyone in the court who is here attend a meeting as soon as we are done with dinner."

Dinner was soon over and everyone slowly gathered into the throne room. The meeting was brief; Peter had only expressed his ideas once, surprising everyone. Eaton had told more of what he had learned about the disease before Lune came to his decision. He ordered that all Archenland trades to Calormen be closed to keep the disease from spreading. It was too early to do much else about it. They all hoped it would stay in Calormen and disappear as fast as it formed.

Torches were soon lit as the meeting came to a close. It was night, and the stars danced their ancient dance as they did in the Pevensies' own beloved castle. Edmund had taken off again with Corin, taking Peter with him leaving the girls all alone. But they like the peace and it gave them time to talk about Peter's gift.

"Have you seen the horse yet?" Asked Susan taking notice of the quietness in the hallway.

"King Lune will show them to me at dawn tomorrow. Could you come with me?" Lucy soon grew excited as Susan asked. She knew that Peter would love his gift.

"Of course Lucy." Susan smiled. She did want to regain the sleep she would lose from Lucy's before dawn stunt, but they needed to get this done before Peter even opened his eyes.

"Oh thank you!" Lucy wrapped her arms around her sister's waist in a hug.

"I still need to think of what I'm going to give him too Lucy. It's rather hard to give him something that he would definitely appreciate, but your horse idea is wonderful. I think he will be quite relieved to ride without worry about the horse or himself getting hurt."

"I don't want Peter to see him until his birthday. I want it to be a surprise. King Lune told me that he could hold onto him until it gets closer to time. Then when we get him over there we can stall him in the back area because Peter never goes to the back stalls." Lucy had unwrapped herself from her sister and had taken a seat.

"It will be perfect. Now, how about we get to bed so we will be able to wake up tomorrow." Susan knew it was nearly midnight.

"Do you promise that you will come with me?"

"You do a fine job of getting us up." Susan assured her as she held out a hand to Lucy and they both left the balcony to go to bed. A few hours later, Peter and Edmund soon came back from their adventures and fell asleep instantly as their bodies hit the incredibly soft beds.

The following morning Lucy didn't knock on Susan's door as she thought she would wake up the other as well. Instead, she came in and playfully threw one of the discarded pillow at her sister. She abruptly woke up and smiled, throwing the pillow back at her. It didn't take them long to get ready and travel out to the stables. As they made it to the entrance King Lune introduced his dear friend, a horse breeder and trainer named Jarvis. He was much taller and leaner than Lune with light brown hair which came to his shoulders and a beard. He led them to the section of stalls his horses were in. Some would nicker in their presence and pop their heads out. Others were rather quiet and still asleep at the time. They took a right turn down the hall where the pleasure horses were stalled and down to the third to the last stall on the left. As the horse heard the footsteps of the four he whinnied and peeked out into the hallway.

"I think he is well suited for what you are looking for your majesty. His potential was to become a messenger horse, but he makes a fine pleasure riding horse. He has a fine temper and is quite loyal. This horse has the smoothest gait I have even felt. You don't even think you are on a horse. Very surefooted and has a soft mouth," The horse nickered again and nudged Jarvis's shoulder. "He's quite intelligent and playful; if you don't pay attention to him he will make sure he gets your attention."

"Could we see him outside of the stall?" Asked Lucy.

Jarvis nodded and picked up his halter that was hung on the door and opened the stall. The horse slid his head though the halter with nearly no help at all. The young stallion walked out of the stall and stopped completely and the slightest tug of the lead.

"And the best thing of all is that he has manners." Said Jarvis, stepping away from the horse letting Lucy get a good look at him in the morning sunlight. The stallion was a true bay with a brown colored body and black legs, nose, mane and tail. His coat seemed to have dapples in the morning sunlight and the only trace of white on the horse was a small star on his head. His mane and tail were thick and most of his face was covered by his forelock. He was just the perfect height and weight. Lucy giggled because he was exactly what she wanted.

Susan brought her hand out to the stallion and petted the horse before asking, "What is the price on him?"

Jarvis laughed. "If word is out that I supply Narnia's royal family that is all that I need. I do not have a price on him."

"What is his name?" Asked Lucy.

"It is quite original. My daughter named him. His name is Dundee."

"Dundee," Lucy nodded and smiled once more. "Then Dundee will be my brother's gift."

Jarvis bowed, "It is an honor, your majesty."

They soon left the stables, more excited than ever. Lucy couldn't wait to give him to Peter when it was time. Stable hands had just begun to turn the horses out for the day and clean the stalls. It was a beautiful day. The morning sun had turned the clouds a shade of pink. The flowers had just begun to open up and the whole castle was starting to wake. Its only exception was Edmund, Peter, and Corin, who were still sound asleep even though the sun was shining thought their windows. Both Queens would have a few hours of silence watching the sun rise before they would wake, and they were determined for it to be enjoyable.

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**Author's Note: **We are throwing a frequent reviewer party at the end on this fic. You must review to be invited.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I apologize for the lateness of this update. Life decided it would be funny to throw a few curve balls at me and watch me flail. But all is well now and we're back in business. Enjoy!

Also, I apologize for the re-upload. I got word that Chapter 3 had mysteriously vanished after being uploaded, and upon checking, it had, indeed, vanished. My account told me that it was up, though, so I had to...yeah...I'll spare you the technicalities. Anyway, here it is again.

**Disclaimer: **Even if I cosplayed as C.S. Lewis, I still wouldn't own it. Shame.

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The Pevensie children spent a full two weeks at Anvard. They enjoyed their time to the fullest, as they always did. Archenland was a beautiful, mountainous country and there was always something to do. More often than not, Peter, Edmund, King Lune, and several noblemen would leave at dawn to hunt or hike through the mountains on horseback and rarely did they return before dusk or later. Susan and Lucy spent most of their days in the gardens and horseback riding through the flatter, forested areas surrounding the castle. They met with many of Archenland's citizens, though it felt somewhat strange that none of them were Talking Animals.

Hiding Peter's horse proved to be much easier than Lucy thought. Whenever Peter was at Anvard during the day, he rarely went out to see the horses, and only once did he consider going to the back barn. Lucy managed to divert his attention to a new arrival – a horse that King Lune had purchased from Jarvis – at the larger barn, and when she introduced Peter to the tall dun stallion, any thoughts of the other barn were swept out of his mind.

Poor Edmund didn't have the luxury of roaming among the horses like Peter did, not that he minded. If it had been up to him he would have spent all day in the barns, but alas, he was at the mercy of Corin. The two had great fun, though, and delighted in finding new and clever ways to pull pranks on the other Narnian monarchs. Though Lucy found amusement in their ruses and Peter sometimes went as far as assisting them with larger schemes, Susan was not amused and insisted that Peter have a talk with them on the way home. It wasn't as though she wanted to keep them from enjoying themselves. She simply thought that they were going a bit too far, especially when they switched her morning tea diluted gravy.

The journey home came much sooner than they wanted and the parting from Anvard was solemn. Susan and Lucy said goodbye to the servants they had befriended over the years, and Lucy gave King Lune a tighter hug than usual, whispering a very soft thank you in his ear. He smiled sweetly and stroked her hair in an almost fatherly fashion before the two separated. Peter and Edmund kept their goodbyes mostly formal, though Edmund's farewell to Corin was anything but. Their parting consisted of Edmund being outright tackled by the young boy and the two hugging where they were on the floor until Peter informed them gently that they couldn't waste any more time. The two separated hesitantly, but eventually Edmund was standing again and Corin was watching his friends leave with a sober expression.

The Pevensies and their small party of guards were mounted and prepared to leave soon after. They waved as they left, and the girls did not break eye contact until they could no longer see any eyes to make contact with. For the first half hour or so the group rode on in silence, still somewhat tired from waking so early and each pondering the wonderful couple of weeks they had endured.

"I bet I'm going to have a bruise…" Edmund mused to himself quietly, not realizing he had spoken aloud.

"A bruise from what, Ed?" Peter asked, smiling.

"What? Oh. Um, from Corin ramming into me like he did."

"He's just fond of you." Lucy giggled.

Edmund smiled sheepishly. "I know, but he should know that my body isn't so fond of marble floors."

"You're fond of him too." Susan quipped. It wasn't a question.

Edmund didn't answer, but his smile grew a bit and a small blush crept across his cheeks. Susan beamed proudly and went back to focusing on the path before them. Silence once again descended upon the group, though it didn't last nearly as long this time.

"Edmund?" Peter looked over at his brother.

"Hm?" Edmund met his gaze and tilted his head a bit, frowning somewhat when Peter smirked.

"Race you."

Before Edmund could reply, Peter urged his horse onward into a gallop. Edmund smirked and did the same with Phillip, the Horse struggling to gain the ground they had lost. For nearly a full minute the Kings raced each other, stuck in a nose-to-nose competition. Peter, being on his warhorse, had the upper hand, but Phillip was resilient and managed to hold his ground. Just as the horse and Horse were beginning to grow too weary to continue, a small rabbit dashed across their path and fled into the underbrush. Peter's horse shied in surprise, and, taken off guard, Peter slipped out of the saddle. He landed squarely on his shoulder and was forced to roll to get out of the way of the stallion. Before anyone had much of a chance to react, Peter's horse had taken off and left all of them in the dust.

"Quit laughing and help me up!" Peter scolded Edmund, rubbing his shoulder tenderly.

Edmund turned Phillip around and slowly walked to his brother, nearly doubled over in delight. His laugh was long and loud, and when the girls began to giggle as well, Peter could no longer resist. He, too, began to laugh and his embarrassing predicament and begrudgingly took Edmund's hand when it was offered to him. He winced in slight pain when his shoulder cracked upon his standing.

"This is exactly why I need a calm horse!" Peter exclaimed through his laughter. He continued to nurse his shoulder, though he knew there was nothing wrong with it aside from a nasty bruise in his future.

"Just think, though," Edmund struggled to calm himself down enough to talk. "At least, if you ever need to make a hasty retreat, you can be sure that you will be far out of sight before your foe can bat an eye."

Peter scanned the terrain hopelessly. "Where is that blasted beast, anyway?"

"He took off, luckily in the direction we're headed. He'll reach the Cair hours before us at the pace he was going." Lucy, too, was having trouble talking through her mirth.

"Of course he will," Peter rolled his eyes. "What am I supposed to do now? Walk?"

"Here," Edmund dismounted Phillip and took several long, deep breaths to calm himself. After a few moments, he wiped his face with his hand and when one could see his face again, it looked as though he had never been happy. "I will walk with you. We'll track your horse as we go." The grave expression Edmund had took on quickly dissolved as he fell into another fit of giggles.

"Why must you torment me so?" Peter tried to put on a display of lament and hopelessness, but he failed as spectacularly as Edmund had and began laughing again as well.

"Because you make it so easy."

Peter looked up. "Oh hush Susan, no one asked your opinion."

She giggled. "That's the beauty of it. I give answers away for free."

"Well come on. We best start looking for your horse before he hurts himself."

"That's all I need. My best war horse and worst pleasure mount injured because he was spooked by a rabbit."

"For a 'best' war horse, he's a bit jumpy, don't you think?"

"You didn't see what happened to him in that last battle we were in. A Boggle just burst out of some bushes and attacked us. I think he has a right to be overly skittish right now."

"Ah. Well, let's find him before he runs across any bushes, then."

Peter looked around at their very green, very bush-filled surroundings. "Well, that should be easy."

It took nearly two hours, but eventually the group of Narnians found Peter's horse. His reins had tangled themselves in a low hanging branch and he was in the middle of a panic. A soft voice radiating from the tree was trying to calm the stallion, but to no avail. The Dryad inhabiting the plant only frightened the horse more, causing both of them anguish as it flailed against her hold on him.

"Oh no, come on Ed."

Peter pulled his brother toward the terrified horse. It took nearly five minutes of calming words and actions before Peter was able to get close enough to his stallion to loose his reins from the tree. It was another twenty minutes before the horse was calm enough for Peter to safely mount him, but once he had, the horse relaxed more and was able to hold still. Peter thanked the Dryad for catching his stallion and keeping him in one place even though it probably caused her pain. She insisted she was only doing her duty as a citizen, wished them safe travels, and after short goodbyes, the party was off once again.

It was after dark before they reached Cair Paravel. Everyone was exhausted, especially Peter and Edmund. Peter's arm was beginning to pain him, and he was sure he would have trouble moving it the next morning. Once the horses and Horse has been put away and taken care of and supper had been eaten, everyone went straight to bed rather than stay up late like usual. Peter was the last one to fall asleep due to a bad habit of checking on all of his siblings to make sure they were comfortable before he could settle down for the night. Once he was sure everyone else was fast asleep, he slipped under his covers and was out like a light within moments.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** It 's my turn again! If we haven't officially met I'm Angel, the second writer for this fic. I do have to say, Pariah is a great writer herself, and if you haven't checked out her fics go ahead and do so. They're awesome (From Pariah: Don't let her sell herself short. Her fics are great too!). I would like to thank our reviewers I had just left off in the last chapter I written. They are Jessica, Fan of the Just King, and Mystic Lover of the Fairytale. And if you are a person who is fallowing this story and not reviewing please do. 'Good chapter!' is all we need to keep us happy. Nothing else to say so…

**Disclaimer:** I'm still homeless! We don't own anything but an old Faun named Gaius. I didn't have any room to hide him anywhere so I think Pariah has him hidden in her closet right now.

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That morning everything seemed to be back to normal. All the servants the Pevensies passed would welcome them home with a bow. Peter felt the normality the most. He felt like he had been slammed with a giant's club. Advisors swarmed around him whenever he tried to take a step out of a room, all demanding something. A few of the advisors from the court and trade were handed over to Edmund but Peter still had the most to deal with. It was becoming quite irritating. Every time he tried to walk somewhere another advisor would come up and request for something to be done, but when he reached the dining room door it was a roadblock for them. Peter simply slipped into the room, leaving everyone behind. Inside he sighed deeply and took a seat next to Edmund.

"I have them write notes and put them on my desk in the study. Maybe you should do that too?" Suggested Edmund.

"Then my desk would be buried in them. Do you know how many of the requests I ignore?" Inquired Peter before taking a drink out of his goblet.

Edmund shrugged. "Works for me."

Susan and Lucy soon came through the door, looking quite shocked. Susan soon spoke as she saw her brothers' confused faces. "There's a mob out there."

"I'll be going out the kitchen way to get to practice then." Groaned Peter.

"You really need to think of a way to make your mornings less chaotic." Said Lucy, taking her seat.

"It's usually not this bad, but since we've been in Archenland for two weeks…" Said Peter, putting a hand though his hair.

"I could help you?" Asked Susan.

"I'm fine. Most of the requests are a simple yes or no."

The kitchen doors flew open and breakfast was served quickly. The cook walked in briefly and welcomed them back before slipping into the kitchen once more. Everyone thought it would be a quiet breakfast. They had no guests, no ambassadors, no one, and it was rather peaceful. Everyone stayed silent, enjoying their meal, but after a few moments, the door into the hallway flew open. It wasn't an advisor, as they had been expecting. It was a short, middle aged Faun who wore a dark green robe that came to his hocks. Edmund quietly winced at his entrance and remained silent. Peter followed his example.

"Good morning Gaius." Greeted Lucy.

"Good morning to you, your majesty." The Faun bowed slightly. Susan, who had her mouth full, greeted him with a smile. Both brothers stayed silent, carrying on with their meal.

"The Healer's Wing nearly threw a party when you two left for Archenland. I, on the other hand, quite missed not having your majesties around." Noted Gaius to the Kings.

Both Peter and Edmund nodded, still trying to keep quite.

"Please join us Gaius, I do not know what is wrong with my brothers, but I do apologize." Susan's last part was stern and meant for both of them.

"Thank you, Queen Susan, for the invitation but I have already eaten this morning." Said Gaius politely. He soon turned his attention to Peter, watching his movements. Peter caught sight of his gaze and nearly slid back into his seat.

"What happened to your left shoulder, High King Peter?" Gaius asked coming closer to get a better look.

"He fell off his horse." Susan replied for Peter, making him slightly scow at her.

"Aye, that is the reason you are throwing it forward. Your majesty should come over to my chambers before sword practice or you will do quite poorly in today's session." Inquired Gaius, touching his shoulder slightly. Peter flinched back and scowled at him the same way as he had at Susan.

Gaius chuckled. "You must have fallen on a rock with the bruising you have."

Edmund continued on with breakfast, trying to avoid Gaius's examination, but staying silent wasn't enough. It was his turn now.

"King Edmund, whatever is wrong with your back?"

"Prince Colin tackled him before we left." Lucy giggled as she answered for her brother.

"Aye, you majesty should come over with your brother. You're actually sitting straight up like a King should be doing. You have a tendency, King Edmund, of slouching in your seat in the morning, but you can't do that now since you back is out from hitting the marble floor hard."

Edmund nodded and looked over at Peter who now had his eyes locked onto the Faun.

"Well, your majesties, I must be going now," Gaius walked to the main door and then remembered something. "King Peter, have you heard about the pandemic in Calormen yet?"

"Yes Gaius I heard the news in Archenland. King Lune ordered to shut down all their trading routes to and from Calormen." Answered Peter.

"You majesty haven't had anything to do with his decision?"

Peter sighed. "This time no."

Gaius nodded. "Very well then. When you sneak out of the kitchen I would take a right instead of a left. There's a Squirrel who would announce your presence and give away your sneak route."

"I'll remember that, thank you."

"It's been a pleasure to be with your majesties on this fine morning. Good day." The Faun soon left, leaving them alone once more.

"Are you going?" Asked Edmund after he made sure he left for the morning.

"No."

"Why are you two so hard on him?" Asked Susan shaking her head.

"Do you see want he does to you? He will not leave you alone and he's just—"

"Too smart." Edmund finished for Peter.

"He knows every little detail." Added Peter.

"And that is why he is so good at his work." Said Susan.

"But—"

"Peter, he is old and lonely. Just try to keep your emotions in and listen to him."

Both Peter and Edmund sighed in defeat and finished their breakfast. Their conversation continued on about things other than the Healer. They nearly lost track of time before Edmund asked about practice.

"Oreius is probably waiting. We need to go."

They soon left, going though the noisy, hot, aroma-filled kitchen. They apologized for using the kitchen as their path and the cook understood. He opened the door and stepped out first, looking to see if any advisors were in the hall. After he assured them that the coast was clear, the two brothers gave the cook their thanks and took a left down the hall.

They didn't make it very far down the hallway before they found the Squirrel.

"King Peter! Welcome back your majesties!" It raced off and told an advisor, who told another advisor, and so on. The wave of creatures and Animals came at them like the waves on the Eastern Sea when it stormed. Peter continued onward to the training ground with Edmund at his side. It was a relief to see Oreius standing at the door. It took only a simple request from Oreius to leave them alone before the advisors scurried off and the Kings made it outside.

"You need to think of something for crowd control." Said Edmund as they made it outside and away for the crowd.

"I yelled at them once." Said Peter.

"And did it work?"

"For a week, and then they carried on with their demands."

"You can intimidate an enemy and even a thick skulled Calormen ambassador, but not those quarreling advisors."

Peter shrugged. "If I try to intimidate them, then a rumor is going to spread that I threatened them. It would not be good."

Edmund shook his head and continued on to a building just below the Cair. The large wooden doors opened to reveal an armory. It was one of many around Cair Paravel in case of an attack. Among the many tools and weapons, his one held swords for training. Peter and Edmund grabbed their weapons training quickly started as it normally did. It was a simple session since they had been gone for two weeks. Although Oreius thought it was the easiest session he supervised, he noticed both Kings were struggling. Contemplating why, he stopped both of them for a moment.

"Is there something wrong sires? You are performing poorly." Asked Oreius.

"Our trip back was accompanied by some problems. I apologize." Said Peter.

Oreius quietly sighed. "It is close to the end of the session. You are being dismissed early. Rest for the day, and I do advise your majesties visit Gaius."

Both Peter and Edmund nodded reluctantly to the General and placed their practice swords back in the armory. They walked slowly back to the Cair. The advisors left, knowing well enough that they would have to try again later. It was a short walk to the Healer's Wing from the Training Ground. It was actually quite practical to have them close to each other. In an extremely rare occasion, maybe only once a year, the two brothers would actually hit each other. It was nothing serious, but it did send the other brother into a guilt trip for a week. Edmund was mostly the one to suffer a hit since his brother had more of a 'gung ho' attitude in his fighting style. His swings were always very heavy and powerful, yet graceful at the same time. However, Edmund did slash Peter across the arm about a year ago. They were learning something new and it was a bit difficult to do in training when they weren't supposed to hurt their opponent.

Gaius was the first door on the right. His chambers consisted of a library about a quarter of the size of the main one in Cair Paravel. The tables and shelves in the room held bottles and jars filled with liquids and salves. On the walls were dried herbs hanging upside down, waiting to be used. There was a small, cheerful fireplace in the corner and a few cots for patients. Gaius was the highest ranked Healer in the Cair. It was he who healed the lords and noblemen at the Cair. He was also the Kings' healer, since no one else wanted the stubborn boys. They always made quite a fuss when sick or wounded. Peter even remembered forcing a Dwarf into retirement after being wounded in battle.

"I thought you would be coming sooner your majesties." Gaius turned to face them. A few Talking Mice walked across the table and bowed before the two Kings. Gaius was always fond of the assistance of Mice. They could complete tasks that his hands were too big to do.

"We were busy." Said Peter.

"You went to sword practice first and then Oreius requested to see me because you two were not doing well. You two should change your tunics first before lying to me," Edmund sighed and nodded. "Now I won't be long. What I have to do is very simple." Gaius moved behind Peter swiftly.

"What do you have to—AH!" A loud crack echoed with the yell in the chamber as Gaius popped Peter's shoulder. He moved to Edmund next, taking more time.

Peter rubbed his shoulder feebly, trying to make the pain fade faster. Edmund tried to move away from Gaius as placed his hand on Edmund's spine. However, the Faun was too quick. He found the source of Edmund's discomfort and promptly popped Edmund spine. It didn't hurt like he had expected, but it did startle him slightly.

"Carry on with your day your majesties. You will do better in sword practice tomorrow. I guarantee it." Said Gaius bowing. The Mice bade their tiny goodbyes as the two left. Peter still held onto his shoulder as they left the chambers.

"My back at least feels better." Said Edmund smiling.

Peter shook his head and nearly sneered at him, "Lucky for you."

"Oh Peter, give it up."

As the pain started to fade slowly, Peter took his hand off his shoulder. "I think we should deal with the advisors. We put them off long enough."

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Our after party is still sending invitations! Please review to get in invited!


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**: *Stumbles from the wreckage* Hola, yes this is Angel again. I stepped in for Pariah for this chapter. In the past month (maybe two) we had computers crashes, evil history teachers, school, work, parties, homecoming, and just pain old crap happen to us. Please excuse us for the wait, we couldn't help it. Anyways, we would like to thank **Mystic Lover of the fairytale**, **Heavenly Princess**, **Fan of the Just King**, **Jessica**, **waterdreams**, **peanutmeg**, and a **anonymous** person for all of the wonderful reviews. Another big thanks for my beta that edits my own fics, **Lady of Stormness Mountain** for her wonderful assessment of this story. Also, one more big huge thanks to **Keketra** who had beta-ed this chapter for us.

**Note from Pariah: **I am terribly sorry for the long wait. It is my fault for the delay and I do feel terrible about it. I would promise the swiftness of the next chapter, but unfortunately my computer is still in some other state due to a crashed hard drive and I have no idea when to expect it back. However, Angel and I will work diligently to bring you the next portion of our pride and joy as quickly as possible. A huge thanks to all those Angel mentioned above, as well as to you silent supporters, and an extra big thanks to Angel herself, without whom this chapter would have been a much longer time coming. I thank you very much, Angel, for sticking with me and putting up with all of my silly mortal problems. It means more than you know. That said, I hope you all enjoy what you are about to read!

**Disclaimers**: I'm still living in a cardboard box. (Just kidding, Pariah and I don't own anything except Gaius.)

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_6 hours later…_

Peter nearly fell into his throne; a long and loud sigh escaping him when he hit the cushion. Susan turned and looked in sympathy for her older brother. The advisors were never like this unless they had taken a trip. Wanting a decision when it seemed there was none Edmund soon fallowed, falling down into his seat a bit softer than Peter. He fixed his crown and turned to Peter, he had the pure look of frustration. So, he didn't say a word about the advisers because even the slightest mention would set the High King off. Not at Edmund, but just into a rant.

"We can help you too Peter. I am capable of making reasonable decisions." Edmund nearly winced at Susan's comment. He knew what was coming.

"No sister, they just think it is only my decision. I even had someone come up to me about a case of two bears fighting about a part of the great river they could fish out of. I just told them that they need to share."

"Peter, there's too many. If you're getting this sapped about this number of problems I'm afraid what's going to happen to you when something _big _happens. You need to take it bit by bit instead of all at once." Susan interrupted.

"Appointments," added Lucy.

"It's just one more thing I must plan Susan."

"Then tell them to come back at a later time."

"They don't listen!" Peter threw his arms up as he raised his voice at Susan. She glared slightly at him for losing control.

"Is this a bad time your majesties?" Everyone turned to Orieus who was before the thrown.

"No General, what is it." Peter rose from his seat and pulled at his sleeves.

"High King Peter, King Edmund, it is time."

"Yes, Orieus," Peter didn't know what he agreed to, hoping it was a way to get away from Susan for a few hours. He stood up and before could take a step Susan grabbed his arm and pulled him over. "Peter, you may be a High King but you're only seventeen. I am quite sure that Aslan understands that you cannot please everyone all at once."

"Yes mother," said Peter making Susan groan in frustration before she let go of him.

Peter soon caught up to Edmund and Oreius. Edmund looked at him questionably.

"Susan," Peter said simply, it was enough of an excuse for Edmund.

They soon made it back to the training grounds with the general. Peter was completely bewildered why, he knew that there was something important happening today but his mind was overloaded with the decisions he still had to make.

"What are we doing here Ed?" He whispered to his brother as a last resort.

"New recruits came today. You forgot?" Edmund nearly ginned at the thought that Peter forgot about today.

"Between the visit to Archenland and the court nearly running over me today of course I forgot."

Edmund snorted, but as Orieus opened the door to the grounds his face straightened and became serious. They step outside to see the young Fauns, Centaurs, and many other Talking Animals sanding tall and straight. They were the new recruits, all three hundred of them. They all hope to be in one of the one hundred spots in Aslan's Army. Once you had been admitted into Aslan's army, you forever belonged with Aslan's Army. It was a proud position to have and as Edmund and Peter scanned the crowed they could recognize the features of a face of someone's farther or even mother who was already in the Army.

The positions were simple, fifteen men Centaurs, fifteen women Centaurs as archers, thirty Fauns, and forty spots for other Animals and Dwarves. They would be tested by Orieus and his assistants until the end of summer. They are given homes in a nearby town of the time being if they did not have a place with a family member in the Army.

"They are all here, my lieges." Said Orieus, walking past the Centaurs. He caught sight of his nephew and nodded slightly at him.

"Good, we will start at dawn." Said the High King. A Faun, named Markus gave the order of the dismissal and would need to back here at dawn ready for training.

"Anything else Orieus?" asked Edmund.

"No my lieges, I will see you at dawn." The General bowed before them as they returned inside. They strolled though the hallways of Cair silently. Peter enjoyed Edmund's quite company. Susan would always think of something to say and Lucy would just ramble on about her day, but Edmund was just calm and it helped him calm down as well. They past the court and the only words that were spoken were good afternoons. Until they reached the main hallways, a dwarf with a falcon on his arm was on his way to greet them.

"Your majesties, we have received a message from King Lune." The dwarf handed Peter a scroll. Peter began to read, until his eyes grew wide.

"What happed?" asked Edmund trying to look over his brother's shoulder.

"The plague has reached the boarder of Archenland and Calormen. King Lune requests trade routes be shut down to the Lone Islands before it spreads."

Edmund nodded until musing to his brother, "Do you remember back in England about us learning about the Black Death?"

"Yes, I remember completely." Said Peter.

"Doesn't it seem this is something like this?"

"Yes it does."

"What carried it around?"

"Rats."

"Then maybe Calormene rats are spreading the disease."

Peter exhaled loudly and ran his hand though his hair before deciding, "I will have a meeting tomorrow after morning's training could you tell the court please."

Edmund nodded at Peter, before turning, striding off to find the court. With a sigh, Peter moved into the garden, relieved to have a little time to himself, needing the space and quiet to think. He took a seat near a pond, taking a second to simply inhale the sweet scent of Narnia's blossoms. As the sun began to sink into the horizon Peter knew he should be going. Before he could even walk a few steps in the hallway Edmund had been chasing the court and back.

"I found most of them. The one I've told will tell the others." Edmund said as he caught up with Peter.

"Thanks Edmund."

"I didn't mind Peter, I had to go over there anyways and ask Serena something."

Peter nodded and continued there way to meet their sisters. They looked to the hall above them and saw the movement of servants getting ready for the night.

"Gaius will be busy now," Edmund stated watching a few of his apprentices walking quite quickly in the hall above.

"Thank Aslan," said Peter before he began to climb the stairs to the Queen's hall.

The climb wasn't very high, but for Peter and his sore back it was. Edmund was smiling at the irony of what Peter just said as Peter struggled climbing the last few stairs. As soon as they made it up Peter began to rub his shoulder tenderly. Edmund spoke up curiously.

"I knew you landed on a rock, but I didn't know that badly."

Peter sighed, "I don't know, maybe my body has just had enough of falling like that."

"You did half a flip in the air."

"I think I already knew that." Peter's tone became slightly annoyed.

"Then we might need to see him this evening."

"I'm fine."

"You can tell that to Susan."

"I'm probably just sore, there is nothing wrong."

Edmund glanced at Peter, aiming a light punch at the shoulder troubling his brother without thinking Peter collapsed in pain and winced. He had tried so hard to hide the nasty bruise from everyone, but Edmund. His quick witted brother, had found it and he knew that he couldn't get away with anything this time around.

"If I have to stay there overnight—"

Edmund cut him off before his threaten him, "You won't spend the night there."

* * *

Peter got them to hold the trip down to Gaius's chambers long enough, it was night and Edmund told Susan what he found out. Dinner was cut short because of it and Susan escorted him, along with Edmund, to the Healer's Wing. Susan could hear Peter mumbling curses the whole time over there and he wasn't going to stop. As they reached the door to Gaius' chambers Edmund smiled. "Lucy wants me for something alone, goodbye, and good luck."

"Edmund!"

"Oh Peter, what's he going to do to you?" asked Susan mockingly.

The Faun soon scurried over to them and greeted them, "I knew you would be coming your majesties."

"Yes Gaius, it seems that my royal brother has suffered a nasty bruise to complement the sore back. Can you have a look to see if it isn't too serious for him to begin the soldiers' training tomorrow morning?"

"Of course, my Queen."

Peter grumbled as he was forced down into a chair by Susan. He took his shirt off rashly as Susan lit a candle for Gaius. The Faun soon examined him quickly looking closely at the bruise. The splotch completely covered his right shoulder and was a dark purple in the middle where the impact of the rock was.

"It's nothing too serious, there was a little bleeding under the skin but it seemed to have stopped now." Gaius addressed Susan, "I will give him something of the pain and swelling, but I will order him not to practice tomorrow unless wants it to become worse."

The Mice scurried over; two of them were carrying a small bottle of remedy. Gaius grabbed the bottle from them and thanked them before speaking to Peter. "Drink half of this tonight and half in the morn and your shoulder should be healed in a week."

"Yes Gaius," Susan didn't take that for a polite answer. She cleared her throat and flicked his shoulder. He wince slight before forcefully saying, "Thank you."

"You're welcome my King. Sleep well tonight."

"Then I must be going." Peter soon left with the bottle in one hand leaving Susan with the Faun and he went to his own chambers to rest for the night. Susan shook her head at this and turned back to the Healer annoyed.

"I'm sorry Gaius, I wish he would appreciate you a bit better."

"It's not a problem my Queen. I have had a son myself. I know of his age and under the stress of being High King he and everyone else thinks that he always has the correct answer for every problem that comes about. Your brother has a strong ego and dislikes me because he thinks I'm wiser than him."

"You are, Gaius."

"I mustn't say that my Queen. You may think what you believe, but soon he and King Edmund will soon respect me just as my son has."

"Then I hope it is soon enough."

"Patience Queen Susan, there will be a time. I am sure of it."

Susan smiled and the Healer bowed as she wished him a good night.

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**A/N: **Serena is Edmund's secretary, a Dryad, and will be mentioned many more times in this story.

Review?


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Hello, PariahCam here. I am so sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. It was my fault once again, with screwy emails, a missing muse, et cetera. I just couldn't seem to write this one for some reason, but I finally did, and I thank Angel greatly for putting up with me this entire time. So without further adieu (you've had enough of that already!) here is chapter 6! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in here. Gaius came from Angel's brilliant mind, not my own, so she lays claims to him.

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Peter shuffled into his room, simmering with frustration and anger. He held the bottle of painkiller white-knuckle fashion, almost hoping he would squeeze it hard enough to break. He knew he was perfectly fine, that he was almost expected to be sore after taking the fall he had. But of course Edmund had had to go and play Mother Hen and get him checked out by Gaius. Why did it always have to be Gaius? Surely there were at least a few other Healers in the Cair. Peter was sure that Gaius was a nice enough Faun when he wasn't dabbling in other people's affairs and injuries, but whenever he was doing his job, he was a downright terror. He was subtle and silky about it, but a terror nonetheless. His borderline pompous attitude and wiser-than-thou personality and what-did-you-do-this-time demeanor drove Peter crazy.

Of course, Peter knew it wasn't the way he behaved that got under his skin. He and Edmund hated Gaius for the very same reason Susan and Lucy liked him. It was because he was always right. He didn't have to be right. He didn't act as though he was better than everyone else and if he couldn't be right, no one could. He was quite humble about his trade when Peter thought about it. No, it was the fact that he was always right and always knew exactly what was wrong and how to fix it that frustrated the boys so. Peter and Edmund were used to being in charge, making decisions, and deciding how to fix problems. Whenever someone tried to overstep their authority, it felt like a threat, and Peter did not take kindly to threats.

Sighing softly, the High King sat down on his bed and looked at the vial in his hands. It was a soft greenish-yellow color, neither appetizing nor unappealing. Judging by the way it moved in the glass bottle, it was very watered down and would hopefully be easy to take. With one final groan in protest, Peter uncorked the bottle and drained half of it. The remedy tasted much thicker than it looked and left his mouth a bit dry, but it hadn't tasted bad, so he didn't mind too much.

Over the next half hour, Peter could feel the pain slowly diminish, and with the pain went his energy. Utterly exhausted, Peter lay down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Feeling strangely dazed and relaxed, he closed his eyes and, ignoring his now-trembling hands, fell asleep.

He awoke what seemed like moments later, tangled up in a mess of blankets after someone had seemingly given a half-hearted attempt to cover him up. It was dark, still hours before dawn. Feeling like something wasn't quite right, Peter carefully slid out from under his covers and placed his bare feet on the marble floor. He stood and shuffled forward a few steps until he ran into the large rug that rested in the center of each bed chamber in the Cair. His eyes slowly adjusted to what little light there was, and as he looked around, he began to make out items that did not belong to him. There was a dresser in the wrong corner of the room, papers were scattered across several desks, and a silk shirt and pants rested on a nearby chair, waiting to be worn for breakfast the next morning.

Peter's confusion heightened as he made his way toward the window. The view was not the one that belonged to his room. On the left hand side of Peter's window was the Western Wood, and on the right, the path to Ettinsmoor. This view was all forest and river, spreading as far as the eye could see. The High King gently pressed his hand to the glass, trying to remember which of his siblings had this view. It wasn't Susan's. Hers started as mountains and slowly transformed into Archenland. It certainly wasn't Lucy's. Her window looked over the Eastern Sea. That left…

The blond turned to face the large bed, spotting a lump that had to be his brother under the sheets. Frowning, he wondered why Edmund hadn't stirred and why he had been in his brother's room in the first place. Peter took a step closer to him, then another, and another still. When he finally reached the younger boy's bed, he gently picked up a corner of the sheets and pulled them back.

Peter's scream echoed throughout the tower as he jerked away from his headless brother. The King fell onto one of the nearby desks, knocking over several books and an ink blot. He continued to scramble as Edmund's body immediately sat up and grabbed his sword. The Just King dropped the weapon quickly, however, when he noticed just who was trying to flee his room. His headless body rushed toward his elder brother and grabbed his shoulders, calling Peter's name desperately. Peter screamed once more and jerked out of his hold, falling to the floor and crawling toward the window as fast as he could. With his back turned, Edmund tackled him and flipped him over so the two were facing each other.

"Peter! Peter wake up!" Edmund shouted. Peter struggled against his grip, feeling the blood from his brother's neck slide down his face. "Peter, please!" The decapitated brother began shaking the petrified King furiously. More voices filled the room, clearly panicked and battle-ready. Peter paid no heed to them, instead focusing all of his energy on breaking free of his supposed-to-be-dead brother.

The High King finally succeeded and wriggled free of Edmund's hold, jumping back and knocking his brother onto his rear and pushing himself into the wall. The High King's breath was thick and fast, his heart pounding in his chest and sweat rolling down his face. His brother was whole once more, staring at him with terror-filled eyes and holding out a trembling hand.

"Easy, Peter. It's me, it's Edmund. Steady on…" The younger brother was stark white in fright, his pale skin nearly glowing in the darkness.

Peter sat against his wall for several seconds, frozen in the fear that gripped his soul, before lunging at him in a hug. He combed his fingers through Edmund's hair and kissed his forehead once before releasing the confused child. Peter stood up, his knees shaking, and brushed himself off.

"I'm sorry." Peter apologized weakly, unable to meet Edmund's gaze as he, too, gained his footing.

"What happened?" Edmund asked, the quizzical tone unmistakable.

Peter was silent. He had never had a nightmare so vivid that it had sent him sleepwalking. At a loss, he shrugged weakly. Frowning, Edmund wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulder and escorted him back to the Just King's bed. The two sat down, and as Peter stared at the floor, Edmund vigorously checked his vital signs. For the first time, the blond was acutely aware of the several pairs of terrified eyes staring at him.

"You're shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, Peter," Edmund's worried voice mumbled almost inaudibly. "You're heart is racing, though I guess that's to be expected. Can you breathe properly?" Peter shook his head and Edmund's frown deepened. "Let me look at your face."

Peter didn't move voluntarily, instead allowing his brother to turn his head up on his own. Still rather exhausted, the elder closed his eyes and let his head begin to droop.

"Oh no you don't. You keep your eyes open," Peter obeyed, though it was a struggle to do as he was told. "Someone get me a light." Out of seemingly nowhere, a muscular, slightly hairy arm handed Edmund a torch. The black-haired boy held it up, blinding Peter and forcing him to turn away. "What did I tell you? Keep your eyes open and on me," Eyes watering from the bright light, the elder once again looked at his brother. "Damnit, someone get Gaius. His pupils are dilated."

"A concussion?" A familiar voice asked.

"Doubt it, Lu, though it's possible."

"Well what else could it be?"

"I would rather have Gaius tell us than have me scare everyone and wind up being wrong. Where is he?"

"Right here, Sire," A voice Peter recognized to be Gaius' echoed loudly in the chamber. "A nightmare, I presume?"

"Yes, but how did you-"

"Nightmares are quite common with the medicine I prescribed him." Though Peter had once again turned away from his brother and the light, he knew Edmund was seething at being cut off.

"What about dilated pupils, tremors, a racing heart, and all of the other things he has going on?"

"Well, no Sire, certainly none of those are side effects." Gaius was beginning to sound worried, and was that a hint of embarrassment?

"Then get over here and tell me what is wrong with my brother."

The sound of several pairs of feet and hooves shuffling forced Peter a bit closer to a waking state, though not much. Fatigue had begun to tighten its hold on the King, making it a struggle just to sit upright. Peter felt Gaius' hand press against his shoulder, keeping him in a sitting position as he examined the High King.

"I'll be right back."

"Hey, where are you going?" But Edmund's calls were no use. Gaius was gone, and though several offered to chase him down, Edmund waved them off and focused on his brother.

"Are you okay, Peter?"

"Th'nk so…"

"I need you to stay awake, okay?"

"But 'm sleepy, Ed…" Peter's words were slightly slurred, but he spoke as fervently as he was able. He so desperately wanted to sleep and didn't understand why they wouldn't let him.

"I know, Peter, I know. But just stay with me for a few more seconds, okay? Gaius is going to get something that will make you feel better, and then you can sleep as much as you want. I promise. Okay?"

Weakly, Peter nodded his head. Despite Edmund's pleas, however, he found himself fading into unconsciousness and unable to stop it. He heard voices and felt someone force him to swallow a sour-tasting liquid, but after that, there was only darkness.

"Peter?" A soft, worried voice roused the teenager from his sleep.

"Hgnh…whassat?" Peter rubbed at his eyes weakly, still half asleep.

"How are you feeling?"

Frowning a bit, Peter managed to open his eyes. The blurry form of Lucy hovered over him, and she looked worried. He smiled a bit and managed to sit up, continuing to rub his eyes until his vision cleared. Once it had, he saw that he was still in Edmund's room and Edmund was asleep next to him.

"Much better," He finally answered his sister truthfully. "How are you?"

Lucy visibly relaxed with relief, her shoulders sagging and a smile making its way onto her face. "I'm good. You gave us a pretty decent scare there, I must say. Gaius said you'll be alright now, but I think Edmund's having a hard time believing him. He fell asleep only a few minutes ago."

"What happened?" Peter remembered the night's escapades, but he didn't remember hearing a reason for it all.

"From what I understand, you overdosed on your pain medicine. Gaius said that he had mixed incorrect ratios of medications or something. He said it wouldn't have killed you, but he seemed awfully afraid of letting you fall asleep."

"Oh…"

"It's okay, though. He said that once you woke up (he looked like he was thinking "if", though), you would be fine. He said you might feel a bit sick to your stomach, and you'll be weak for a few hours, but you'll be okay. Do you feel sick?"

"No, I feel fine," Peter gave his sister a reassuring smile that slowly faded after a few seconds. "Did you stay up with me all night?"

Lucy smiled. "I wanted to, but Edmund wouldn't hear it. He insisted we take shifts, the three of us. Susan watched over you with Edmund first," Lucy turned her head to look at her elder sister, fast asleep in a nearby chair. "Then Edmund did by himself, and my turn started a few minutes ago."

"How did Edmund convince you two to let him watch me for two shifts?" Peter smirked.

"He didn't. He just refused to fall asleep." Lucy giggled.

"I'm sorry you had to watch over me." Peter hung his head a bit, feeling rather guilty.

"Don't be silly! It certainly isn't your fault, and Gaius insisted there was no reason for us to even have shifts in the first place. We just wanted to make sure you were okay through the rest of the night, and," Lucy leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Don't tell Edmund I said this, but he likes it when you sleep in his room, and I think he wanted to make sure you stayed here."

Peter chuckled lightly and almost immediately regretted it. Edmund shifted next to him and rolled over, muttering incoherently. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand, clearly displeased with being woken up.

"Lucy, would you keep it down? It's too early. I didn't wake you up when you were sleeping. 'sides, who are you talking to anyway?" Edmund turned to look at his sister and froze when he spotted Peter sitting up and grinning at him. "You great git, you scared us half to Hell, you know that?" Peter continued to beam as his brother tackled him in a hug.

"Terribly sorry, it won't happen again."

"It had better not, or I swear I'll kill Gaius."

"No time for that today, Edmund," Lucy said, smiling at her brothers. "You still have those advisers you promised you would take care of."

"We promised no such thing." Peter insisted, suppressing a groan.

"Nevertheless, you must get them taken care of now, Peter, else they'll only make you worse."

"Not today, Lu. Tell them to come back tomorrow. We're both too tired." Edmund didn't attempt to hide his frustrated groan in the slightest.

"Well you boys must at least get out of bed. You've already missed breakfast, and Peter, you need to visit Gaius again."

Giving up on protesting, Peter slipped out of bed, quickly followed by his brother. Lucy left and the two dressed in relative silence, only speaking up to ask for help tying a shirt or finding a lost button.

The day passed by relatively slowly with many loud complaints from Peter about not being able to train, ride, or do any relatively strenuous activity. Edmund simply sat back and smirked at his brother's misery, knowing full well that it was for his own good. When Peter finally did give in and visit Gaius, the Faun behaved rather differently than usual. He was incredibly apologetic and utterly embarrassed, if his behavior was anything to go by. He said little, spending the visit merely prodding Peter's bruise and nodding silently to himself.

The next day was relatively the same, though with extra torment from the previously-ignored advisers.

"I swear, if they don't give us a minute of peace and quiet, I'm going to murder them all."

"It's your own fault for not taking care of it yesterday." Lucy sighed good-naturedly.

"Then tell them to meet us in the throne room and we'll take care of it now." Peter offered, putting a hand on Edmund's shoulder comfortingly.

"Certainly."

Almost too happily, Lucy skipped out of the room and searched for the few court officials who were not currently in the room and had not overheard the entire conversation. Peter and Edmund made their way hesitantly to the throne room, Edmund muttering under his breath about how he disliked the whole situation and that a swift kick to the rear would probably be more effective, and much faster, than a one-on-one with every single person who had a grievance. Upon entering, they discovered that Lucy had clearly found every single person who filled such a requirement. The moment they stepped foot in the room, a swarm of creatures rained down on them like a hail storm. It took hours upon hours of squabbling, sorting, sighing, and signing, but finally, an hour after dinner was supposed to have been served, everyone had been heard and answered.

The rest of the evening passed in general quiet and normalcy, and Peter's injury didn't bother him once. Edmund insisted on staying with Peter that night, and neither brother had a single bad dream.


	8. Chapter 7

**Note from Angel:** I am so sorry for the wait. It's probably been two months. Half of the long wait is my fault and the other half belongs to school. So to make everything up I think this chapter has doubled in word count. Anyways I would like to thank peanutmeg, dbd823, and TheLostHeroinesOfOlympus for the reviews.

Here's a little info I would like to explain when I read the reviews. Everyone seems to be confused about this plague. Back when the Black Death happened around the mid 1300's there were actually 3 types of plague: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. Pariah and I are writing more about the pneumonic plague more than the others. Pneumonic plague can be spread from person to person other than the other two forms because one of the symptoms is coughing. This pandemic is pretty much a more severe form of pneumonia. Peter is intended to get this form of the plague. So in the last chapter where Peter and Edmund were actually talking about what they learned about the plague they will find out that they are actually wrong since pneumonic plague is the only pandemic in this story. That is only part of the plot I will give away.

**Disclaimer:** We don't own anything except our one character we created.

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"Ed?" The slight whisper woke the boy from his deep slumber. His head shifted, but he kept his eyes closed, not wanting the morning light to wake him just yet.

"Ed," The whisper grew louder; he moaned in protest. He was not a morning person. "Ed, come on!" The whisper was desperate now. He knew the individual wasn't going to leave until they have actually waked him. And then came the poking—the being was now softly but annoying poking him in the shoulder. He let out one last annoying sigh before opening his eyes.

"Lu…" he mumbled, not nicely as he squinted in the bright light. Why didn't Peter shut his curtains?

"Rise and shine." Lucy was _always_ the first one awake. She woke up at the crack of dawn to watch the sun rise every morning. She told Edmund why she always did once. The Dryads taught her some time ago how she could tell if the day was going to be good or bad by the way the clouds reflected their different colors in the morning rays. Edmund of course didn't believe in such a thing.

"I hope it rains in the morning and you cannot see the sun shine." mumbled Edmund slowly sitting up, hoping to keep Peter asleep.

"You know what day it is, grumpy?" Edmund saw Lucy's eyes narrow as she fired back.

"If you could give me a second to wake up then I could." Edmund whispered, slowly sliding off the bed. Lucy gasped slightly as she watched Peter roll. The two stopped and waited a moment in silence, hoping Peter would continue sleeping. Their hopes where rewarded as Peter buried his head into the pillows and continued to softly snore.

"His gift is here. Jarvis came in the early morning. We need to put him somewhere before _he_ wakes up."

"Does Susan know?" asked Edmund, looking at Peter.

"She's still asleep."

"So you wake me up but not her?"

"You would know what to do more than she would."

Edmund sighed and nodded. The two quietly slipped out of the room. Lucy barely gave Edmund any time to actually dress for the day. All of ten minutes she gave him before barging in and dragging him out with one boot on and the other in his hand. She practically ran to the west door with Edmund close behind trying to slip his left foot in his boot.

"Lu, slow down! I really don't think Jarvis is that impatient. He trains horses you know." said Edmund in an attempt to have the time to slip his boot on his foot.

"He's been here for a few hours now." argued Lucy. She stopped and turned around and Edmund in one swift motion finally had his second boot on.

"He'll probably spend the night and travel back tomorrow. Anvard to here and back in one day is hard on the horses." explained Edmund.

"Oh…" Lucy simply said. She bit her lip—she didn't think about that.

"You weren't expecting him to stay here for the night?"asked Edmund.

"No. Not at all." confessed Lucy. Peter would know then; or at least ask Edmund until he almost beat it out of him.

Edmund paused, thinking before continuing. "I'll keep Peter busy today if someone isn't going to already. Now let's go before he wakes up."

Lucy nodded and continued onward at the same speed she had been going. Edmund, not being a morning person, lagged behind. At least she held the door for him. However, then she nearly flew down the stairway and across the main path to the stables. Jarvis and his assistant were leaning against an oak post where their horses were tied. The two bowed before the King and Queen and smiled.

"King Edmund, I deliver your royal sister's gift. The finest stallion I've had in seven years." Jarvis untied the bay stallion from the post and handed the rope delicately to the Just King. Edmund was still trying to rub the sleepiness from his eyes as he grabbed the rope. He looked up at the horse as he stood there—his eyes and ears straight forward and staring at Edmund. The stallion inhaled Edmund's scent once before stepping closer and nudging him.

"My daughter named him Dundee," stated Jarvis patting Dundee on the neck.

"Then was shall call him Dundee," said Edmund who smiled in satisfaction of Lucy's gift.

Jarvis bowed and smiled. Lucy moved to Edmund, making Dundee lose his attention on Edmund and nipping Lucy's hair. As she giggled she looked around at her surroundings. The Cair's in habitants were waking, and so was Peter. She didn't see him yet but she knew it would be soon.

"We need to find a stall in the back." said Lucy.

"Peter rarely goes back in the in the corner where Susan's horses are," Suggested Edmund. "And he can take the morning shift in the pasture that Dal had until Susan sold him."

"Is this okay with Susan?" asked Lucy.

Edmund paused; he didn't remember Susan getting another horse after Dal. The gelding was crazier than any of Peter's changers. She took the first opportunity to sell that horse and did so. Now a noble in the Lone Islands has his hands full.

Lucy nearly took Dundee's rope out of Edmund's hand and walked down to the back right corner. Susan's horses' manes and tails were long and flowing. Most off the horses she had where white or palomino. She took Dundee to the back stall and stopped. Edmund caught up and looked inside.

"No wonder she sold him." said Edmund. The stall's side panels where chewed at and some were even missing. A part of the floor has been dug at and the door looked to have been kicked in.

"Let's just let him out for now." They went back though the hall and took a left outside. They walked quite a distance until they reached the gate. Edmund took Dundee again and looked closely at the fence for broken pieces.

"They must have fixed this already. I'll tell them that they need to fix the stall." said Edmund and untied the rope. Dundee hesitated at first, but then after some motivation from Edmund he trotted off and whinnied to the other horses.

"I'd better get back. Peter has to be up now and he'll probably want me to go with him to training today. You'll be aright hosting Jarvis?"

Lucy sighed reluctantly at Edmund. "Why are you two always training or practicing? Do you ever take a break?"

"On Sundays we do. I'm sorry Lu, I would skip but—"

"Peter. I know."

Edmund hugged his little sister. "He has enough on his hands right now. I am just making sure we don't have anymore incidents. Things will slow down after recruitment time is over, just like last year."

Lucy nodded as Edmund left her. She watched him walked quite a distance before she remembered and called out, "Tell Susan I'm out here and I will come for breakfast!"

Edmund turned and nodded in response before continuing onward. What was Peter going to be like this morning? He found out as soon as he came back into Cair and spotted Peter strolling down the hallway. He sighed in relief that Peter did not panic with Edmund being gone. The two went directly to training where the new recruits stood in two straight lines.

"It's good to be back." Noted Peter before walking out to greet Oreius. Edmund stood and realized how hot the air already felt. It was going to be a long day.

As the morning progressed Edmund fell behind with everything._ Maybe I should have stayed with Lu. _Edmund thought as he rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment because of Peter. It wasn't because Peter was being arrogant; he was just overwhelming. He talked to each recruit one on one before he had them duel him, Edmund, or Oreius. The same process continued onward for the next thirty recruits. Peter's bouncing continued on until Oreius suggested a break because of the heat, and so Peter could calm down a bit. Peter and Edmund took a seat on the steps of Cair.

"Edmund, if I may ask, where were you this morning?" Asked Peter, who was becoming uncomfortable in the silence. Edmund, on the other hand, was quite relieved by it.

Edmund knew he had to reply, and quickly. Peter would know something was going on if he didn't. "I was with Lucy. She needed something."

"Something? What something?"

Edmund wished someone would interrupt them so he could have more time to think of an answer. "It's nothing you should be worried about."

"I am the High King," Edmund rolled his eyes at Peter's words. "Nothing should be hidden from me."

Edmund sighed and coughed deceivingly, hoping to buy more time. Peter's eyes narrowed. He wanted an answer. "A gift for you - quite small. I don't know why she woke me up so early because of it."

Peter lightened up, relieving Edmund's tension. "It's our little sister. A gift?"

"Your birthday is coming up in not even two months." Edmund soon realized that he needed to find Susan. He didn't want to be the one holding the moving target at archery practice for not telling her that he had a horse in her part of the stables.

"Aye, Susan should already be planning by now. I'm surprised she didn't ask for my invitation list yet."

Edmund needed to cut their conversation short now. Training was already running over and he didn't need Susan giving anything away because she didn't know yet. "Invitations should be coming sometime this week I believe. I need to talk to Susan, so I need to leave. I'll meet you at breakfast whenever you find the time to finish." Edmund didn't give Peter time to answer before he jumped up from his spot and moved quickly to the doors.

Edmund walked hastily, trying to find Susan or one of her servants who knew where she was. He made it to the well before he, to his relief, found her. If he had been a few minutes delayed, Peter's whole surprise would have been spoiled.

"Edmund! What's the meaning of that horse in my paddock? And where's Lucy?"

Edmund kept his voice low as he replied. "That horse is Lu's present for Peter."

"He came early; I thought he wasn't coming for another week. Is Jarvis still here?"

"Yes, Lucy is keeping him away from Peter for the rest of his time here."

"Alright, I was just wondering why the stall hands are working on Dal's stall so early and then I saw the horse there. I almost forgot what the stallion looked liked but when he came over to me like a dog I realized who he was."

Edmund tried to keep his frustrated sigh in. If Susan knew who the horse was and the reason he was here, why was she asking him about it?

"And I need to ask Peter about his invitation list soon. We need to have them sent out in advance so everyone will know." Susan nearly exclaimed to the whole garden. A resident of the Cair, who Edmund thought was from the Infirmary, quickly retrieved his share from the well and trotted out, not wanting to disrupt the conversation.

"I already told Peter he should be thinking about it."

"Thank you, Edmund. I hope that you are going to more of a help than what you were last year." Edmund bit his lip. Susan always took special occasions too seriously for his taste. He certainly felt sorry for Peter—if he thought he needed a vacation last year he was certainly going to need one after this party.

"I'll try." At least he was being somewhat truthful.

Susan smiled. "Then we shall go to breakfast. Is Peter still training?"

"He'll probably try to cram the time he lost today to make up for everything."

"I hope he doesn't hurt his shoulder again."

"I hope not too." Edmund knew that that was the last thing he needed. The last few days had been a nightmare for him with Peter just hovering since he couldn't do anything strenuous. He knew he was going to have his hands full today. On top of it all, he had a court meeting that has been postponed for two days that he needed to handle _today_.

"Then I'll guess we'll have breakfast by ourselves."

"Right." Edmund said blankly as he followed Susan to the dining hall.

Peter joined them just before the two were about to leave, so the they stayed to keep him company as he ate. Susan began to ramble ideas she had about the party. She talked about everything the brothers could think of and some things they couldn't as well. Peter nodded and tried to say the appropriate yeses when he needed to so it looked like he was listening. However, he stared at Edmund the entire time, knowing the dreaded birthday plans were only beginning.

After breakfast, everyone seemed to be occupied with their own business. Lucy was hosting Cair's guest, Jarvis, Susan was beginning to plan Peter's eighteenth birthday just a few weeks earlier than last year, Edmund had his hands full with work he needed to get finished and the court meeting which was mid-afternoon, and Peter was catching himself up by talking to Oreius about the new recruits and their progress. Soon, before Peter quite knew it, it was mid-afternoon. He walked over to Susan's chambers, hoping not to be bombarded with plans, but her door was closed.

"Susan?" Peter cracked her sister's door open, hoping for an answer. He hasn't seen Edmund since afternoon tea. His brother never told him what he was doing or where he was going. It wasn't like Edmund. Peter waited, but his patience was wearing off because of the heat. However, the last time he had stepped into Susan's chambers he caught his singing sister off guard. A few screams from her made him retreat back to the doors. He had learned that it was better to wait unless he could turn into Lucy or at least go in with her. Where was Lucy when he needed her?

"Yes Peter? Why didn't you just come in? I don't bite."

"When have I heard that before?"Peter mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Susan caught a slight grumble from him. She turned to face him, waiting for his response.

"It's nothing. Where are Ed and Lu?"

Susan bit her lip; she knew where both of them were. Edmund had probably finished talking to Lucy and Jarvis and was most likely getting ready for the court meeting.

"Ed is getting ready for the meeting, which should be starting sometime this hour. Lucy will not be attending; she is being a host for a guest."

"Who is this guest?"

Susan paused for a moment hoping her brother wouldn't grow suspicious. "A family of Hares. They want a job here."

"I don't know what a Hare could do here."

"Messengers for all of us, perhaps."

"Why yes of course. I would like to see this family. Where is Lucy?"

"I don't think they'll get be able to get a position here. They are quite shy and they only trust Lucy. I tried talking to them and they just ran away."

Peter sighed and shrugged. Susan was actually surprised the excuse worked.

"Peter, Lucy is fine. She can take care of herself. You, on the other hand, need to take care of _yourself_ more."

"I do."

Susan shook her head. She was never going to get it into her brother's thick skull. "Let's get to the meeting. Edmund is probably waiting."

"Right." Peter followed behind Susan. Not a word was spoken during their walk down to the courts, where Edmund spent most of his time. The giant, domed part of the Cair was split in half. The library was to the east and the court was to the west. Some days, mostly around this time of year, Edmund would be in this area from the time he woke up and trained with Peter to the time Susan led him to bed after he had fallen asleep on the desk in the library. When Peter noticed Edmund was becoming stressed about his work, he and Lucy would usually persuade him to take a break and spend a day on the beach. Edmund would always fall asleep on a blanket that covered the sand but at least they got him out.

Peter and Susan soon made it. Peter gave Susan a reassuring smile and opened one of the large stained glass doors for her. The court stood as Edmund did the same. The two made their way to their seats – Peter in the center with Susan on his left and Edmund on his right.

"We delayed this meeting long enough, Peter. I haven't heard anymore news about this plague but we need to do something before it makes it to the Lone Islands or here." whispered Edmund to Peter.

"You can thank Gaius for the delay." replied Peter. A moment later the High King announced, "I call this meeting to order."

The meeting ran quickly and smoothly, as it was just for one particular issue. Edmund had written a plan while the court fired off ideas on how to handle the situation. As the meeting was starting to finish, Edmund announced the plan everyone had made. First they were going to shut the to-and-from routes that used Archenland ports, ships, or crew. If the plague continued to spread, they would shut down Narnia's ports from the Lone Islands and paths to Archenland. Finally, as only Humans were affected by the plague, if the illness reached Narnia, the Cair would be locked down for the monarchs' safety. Everyone voted for the plan to be utilized and the meeting was adjourned.

As everyone made their way to the exit Susan took Edmund's parchment which he used to write the plan. She read it thoroughly and realized that Edmund would have his hands full for a long time.

"If you need any help Edmund don't be afraid to ask. You did well today." Susan hugged her little brother.

"Thanks Su, and I will." He replied sincerely.

"Alright." Susan looked at the windows that surrounded the whole room. The sun shone brightly though them.

"I need to send a messenger to the Islands. I'll see you at dinner." Said Edmund.

Susan nodded and walked to the door, taking one last glance at her brothers before exiting. She left to meet with Lucy and tell her what had happened during the meeting.

"I shall find you a messenger, Edmund. You write the message to the governor." Peter patted Edmund on the shoulder in a brotherly manner then set off to find a Bird willing to fly though the night.

Edmund sighed and found a smaller piece of parchment. He dipped his quill in some ink and began to write. The message was going to be brief, but it needed to be well thought out since they were closing down ports, which were the most important locations for the Islands' lifestyle. They were going to allow the fishermen to continue to fish since they never set port in Archenland, but the Lone Islands' and even Narnia's economy would take a blow. This was for the best though. The economy and more would be far worse if many lives were lost to the plague.

Finally, as the sun began to set, Edmund read the letter one more time, signed, and sealed it. He blew out most of the candles in the court room and opened to door. He was quite surprised to see Peter there with an Eagle standing on the ground next to him.

"Sire," The Eagle said, bowing slightly. "It will be an honor to take this flight."

"Thank you great Eagle, I'll pray to Aslan for your safe journey." Edmund slipped the letter into the carrier on the Eagle's back. Edmund secured the letter and the Eagle bowed once more before taking off and flying out the open eastern hallway. The two brothers watched the Eagle fly until he disappeared into the twilight.

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Info on Dundee: To anyone is wondering Dundee is a real horse. His attitude has been slightly changed for this fic. I (Angel) own the real Dundee.

Please Review!


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